The children of Gulf War veterans are almost twice as likely
to be born with birth defects than those of other soldiers, research
has found.

US researchers, sponsored by the Environmental Epidemiology
Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs, surveyed 30,000
parents in the US Armed Forces.

Half had fought in the 1990 - 1991 Gulf War.

The researchers found children born to Gulf War veterans were
more likely to have psychological and physical disabilities.

[This]
seems to confirm what the Gulf veterans have always said and
now it seems that their children are suffering in the same way
Professor Malcolm Hooper, chief medical adviser to the Gulf veteransFemale
soldiers who had served in the conflict were almost three times
more likely to have a child with a birth defect, compared to
women who had not served in the Gulf.

Men who had served in the conflict were almost twice as likely
to have a child with a defect.

Around 697,000 US servicemen and women travelled to the Gulf,
compared to 53,000 personnel from the UK.

'Pattern'

Gulf War veterans from the UK said there were many similar
cases of children being born with deformations such as Down's
Syndrome and other chromosome related disorders in this country.

Marie Rusling, of the National Gulf Veterans and Families
Association told BBC News Online: " We've thought there
was a pattern for a long time.

"The illnesses and the disabilities are out there in
the general population, but its a higher percentage in the Gulf
community."

She added that the US research supported the veterans' argument
that the drugs soldiers were given to counteract the threat of
biological warfare have led to long-term illnesses and death.

UK research is currently underway to examine the health of
children born to Gulf War veterans.

Professor Malcolm Hooper, chief medical adviser to the Gulf
veterans said there were some significant deformations in British
children born to Gulf veterans.

'Malformations'

He added: "Some of the most severe involve the shortening
of limbs and malformations to the ears and parts of the face.

"It seems to confirm what the Gulf veterans have always
said and now it seems that their children are suffering in the
same way.

"I know there are people here that have children who
are hurting and damaged."

Professor Hooper, who also lectures in medicinal chemistry
at Sunderland University, said proving a link in British veterans
would be more difficult as fewer servicemen and women went, compared
to the US.

He added that previous studies carried out in America which
found there was no increased chance of deformation were unreliable.

But a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence told BBC News
Online this latest survey was of defects reported by the families
themselves, rather than an actual clinical study.

She added: "We are aware of the report and are currently
studying it.

"Previous reports from the US have indicated that there
was no increase in deformations in children born to Gulf veterans."